September 20, 2010

Baking History: Godchaux's Pure Cane Sugar

Godchaux's Pure Cane Sugar was produced at a sugar refinery in Reserve, Louisiana, where Leon Godchaux, the company founder, was known as Louisiana's "Sugar King", according to Brand Name Marketing, an online reference guide to brand name ingredients, appliances, housewares and kitchen tools of the past and present. An interesting anecdote? Godchaux bought his first sugarcane plantation in 1850, but never owned slaves.

In 1933, the company published a booklet, The Story of Godchaux's Pure Cane Sugar, which also contains useful household helps and excellent recipes.

How Sugar is Made

Sugar canes are cut and crushed to extract the juice. The crushed sugar cane stalk is known as bagasse, valued for its fibers, which are used to make paper and other things.

The sugar juice is cleansed and purified using heat and filters to create a syrup. Crystals form in the syrup, which are separated from the molasses which sticks to them. These crystals are raw sugar.

The crystals are then washed, melted and filtered, but the resulting syrup is still dark. The amber liquid is decolorized and purified by passing it though large char-filters.

Finally, it is boiled in vacuum pans until crystallization takes place. The crystals are separated from the "mother liquid" and dried to create granulated sugar.

Brown sugar is either unrefined sugar (with the molasses still attached) or refined sugar with molasses added. You can make your own by adding one tablespoon of molasses to one cup of granulated sugar and mixing well.

In 1933, sugar was packed in cartons as well as bags made from kitchen toweling. The empty bags were reusable as lintless dish towels.

The first recipe in the booklet?

SOUTHERN PRALINES

3 cups Godchaux light brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups chopped pecan meats

1 cup cream

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix the sugar, butter and cream and cook until a small quantity dropped in cold water forms a soft ball. Add the chopped pecan meats and cinnamon. Beat until almost cold, then drop by spoonful onto waxed paper.

EPILOGUE

So what happened to the company? In 1958, the Godchauxs sold the mill and refinery to the National Sugar Refining Company. The grinding mill was closed, and only the refinery was operated. The Hunt Brothers purchased the refinery in 1975, where it operated until 1985, when the refinery closed its doors forever.